SOMERSET RARE PLANTS GROUP 2009 Newsletter Issue No.10 Editor: Caroline Giddens December 2009 Another year gone by and it is time for our Newsletter once more. We hope you will enjoy reading about the meetings which have taken place during the year and that the reports will bring back happy memories if you were able to be present or bring you up to date with our findings if you were not able to come along. Again we would urge you to look at the excellent Website prepared by Christine Loudon, the site address is: http://www.somersetrareplantsgroup.org.uk. It includes details of activities past and present, links to other useful sites, current programmes and much more. Helena Crouch is also to be congratulated on the steady work she is putting in on the Rare Plants Register. REPORTS OF MEETINGS, 2009. _____________________________ The AGM Sat. 10 th January, 2009. A shared lunch was enjoyed by all and this was followed by a raffle and then a Natural History The AGM was held in the Village Hall at Quiz in which our knowledge of other branches of Shapwick and twenty people attended. nature, ranging from slugs to crested newts, as The financial officer reported that there was well as plants was tested. Following the brain­ £442 in hand in December (which had risen to stretching we enjoyed looking at digital photos as £546 in January). well as slides shown by various members. The main item for discussion was the level of Jeanne Webb subscription in view of the fact that extra costs have to be incurred with the hiring of Indoor Meeting Sat. 7 th March, 2009. accommodation for winter meetings. It was thought unfair that effectively there is a two­tier About a dozen members gathered at Shapwick subscription rate as those who do attend the Village Hall for the final indoor meeting of the winter meetings have to finance the hall hire as winter season. This proved to be a most well as pay the £5 subscription which could then interesting day which commenced with Simon total £14 annually. It was agreed in principal to Leach giving an illustrated talk about his recent raise the annual amount for everyone and two studies of ‘Phenology’. This proved to be figures were suggested: £8 and £10. History was comparisons of the average flowering times of made as the matter was decided by a vote! It was plants in the Taunton area in which his own agreed that the annual subscription should be £8. observations over three years were compared with Steve mentioned that there is a possibility of a those in a paper published in 1947 by venue for next winter as Natural England are W.H.Watson. There were many charts, opening a study room at a site on The Levels illustrations and tables illustrating the various which might be available for SRPG use. ways of making comparisons, but the overall Christine Loudon was thanked for her work on trend seems to be that most plants are occurring the website and she asked for more photographs about two weeks earlier. It was interesting to of our activities. Next year’s programme was learn that a similar trend seems to be observed discussed and a number of areas for our attention with insects, which is essential for the pollination were listed. It was also suggested that we hold a of certain species. I wonder if this is a ‘chicken or weekend visit to Dorset, staying at Kingcombe egg’ situation – which happens first does the plant Environmental Study Centre, but for the purpose flower earlier or the insect emerge earlier? of recording plants on the Somerset side of the After a break for lunch, Helena Crouch gave an border. illustrated update on the work she is doing on the Paul Green has invited members to visit Somerset Rare Plant Register which ideally will Waterford, Ireland and it was suggested that we finally be published in both book and web form. accept and arrange this for next year 2010. Paul The list of plants considered for inclusion is 600 gave the group a copy of his new flora of and 30 of these had been written up – this clearly Waterford to auction for funds, Steve did this and shows that more help is required from members – £21 was added to coffers. it is a pity there were not a few more present at It was reported that both Pat Hill­Cottingham the meeting. and John Keylock had died and members expressed sadness at their loss. CJG 1 FIELD MEETINGS of Hypochaeris glabra (Smooth Cat's­ear). But Exmoor Fern Hunt our enthusiasm got the better of us and soon we Sunday 5 th April, 2009. were literally crawling around the garden of one The first meeting of the year is normally always of the huts. The owners seemed delighted to be well attended and so it proved to be this season. told about the wonderful rare species we were Meeting in the car park in Porlock we set off, finding. recording as we went. Although early in the year After lunch one of our members was taken ill there were a number of plants in good flower and with great speed and professional help he was including Caltha palustris (Marsh­marigold) helped by the Ambulance service. Our group along the stream and the white bells of Allium continued on to the top of the beach where it triquetrum (Three­cornered Garlic). Growing at borders the Minehead golf course. More small the base of a wall was a good stand of Fumaria insignificant plants are found here and not only capreolata (White Ramping­fumitory). We re­ did we have to crawl, we also had to dodge golf visited the location for Melittis melissophyllum balls and the shouts from angry golfers! We did (Bastard Balm), this plant was first visited by however record a number of interesting species SRPG in August 2000. In Hawk Combe we came including Vicia lathyroides (Spring Vetch) and across the first of our target species Dryopteris Crassula tillaea (Mossy Stonecrop). No sign aemula (Hay­scented Buckler­fern). This was could be found of Silene conica (Sand Catchfly) growing along the stream’s edge; working our but this was recorded later on in the season. way up the side of the Combe we counted a Our return route took us via the beach huts number of plants. Our goal here was where Trifolium suffocatum (Suffocated Clover) Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (Tunbridge Filmy­ was very frequent in the closely mown lawns. At fern), this was growing on a rock outcrop half­ the back of the beach is the wetland area known way up a the steep combe side. as the HAWN; recent management work had Retracing our steps, we climbed down one side opened up part of the wetland and a number of of Hawkcombe and up the other side. A brilliant small trees of Salix purpurea (Purple Willow) display of Cyclamen repandum (Spring were recorded. Sowbread) was our reward for the climb. This Stephen Parker plant had become well naturalised in what we presumed to be a old garden. On reaching the road Cheddar Gorge we had good views over Porlock Bay and we Sunday 17 May 2009. started our descent down Porlock Hill. The target It was a dull overcast day when members and species here was Asplenium obovatum fellow botanists (some of whom had come from (Lanceolate Spleenwort), we estimated the Oxford and further afield) met in the Reservoir population of this fern to be roughly 500 car park part­way up the gorge. As we gathered, a individuals. Goodness knows what the heath and noisy procession of bikers roared down the gorge, safety committee would say over the number of many of them wearing huge brassieres over their near misses with the oncoming traffic! black leathers or draped over their bikes! We On returning to the village, a small group set assumed that they were on a charity fun­run and it off to Alfoxton Wood to record at a second site was not until they had all passed by that we could for Tunbridge Filmy­fern. Excitingly the group start our sedate botanical walk down the gorge to also found a new Somerset location for see some of the plant specialities. The first stop Trichomanes speciosum (Killarney Fern). Not bad was to see the Welsh Poppy (Mecanopsis for the first meeting of the year! cambrica) in the small coach turning place for the Stephen Parker open­topped tourist bus. We found a few plants on rock outcrops, but it was not as plentiful as in Dunster Beach former years when it grew on the edge of the Saturday 2 May 2009. scree that descends from a small rocky crevice This was a joint meeting with the Wild Flower above. This scree cone is now periodically cleared Society. The beach at Dunster is well recorded away as a coach hazard, so part of the Welsh botanically, this allowed us to spend our time Poppy’s habitat is removed during this operation. recording with the GPS some of the rare and more Cheddar Gorge is reputed to be the most easterly interesting species. Only a true botanist can edge of its native range. appreciate brown mats of the recently dead Poa Walking further down the gorge to Horseshoe bulbosa (Bulbous Meadow­grass), at least we Bend, we recorded Scurvy­grass where it has long didn’t have to explain why we were on our hands been known to occur (Sole first recorded it here in and knees to members of the general public.